Many Children Unable To Be Included In Parentsí Obamacare Family Plans

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CONCORD, N.H. ó Families shopping for health insurance through the new federal marketplace are running into trouble getting everyone covered when children are eligible for Medicaid but their parents are not.
Children who qualify for Medicaid, the safety-net program for the poor and disabled, canít be included on subsidized family plans purchased through the federal marketplace, a fact that is taking many parents by surprise and leaving some kids stuck without coverage.
A California man says he was given false assurances that his children could be covered by the same plan he picked for his wife and himself, and a Florida father says his daughter is going without coverage while he waits for answers.
And in New Hampshire, some parents whoíve enrolled in private plans for themselves alone are finding out later that their children arenít eligible for Medicaid after all, leaving their kids with no options.
ďThe children are getting stuck in this spot where weíve enrolled the parent, but we canít bring the children back on the family plan,Ē Maria Proulx, senior legal counsel for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Hampshire, told a state advisory board panel this month.

Obamacareís official name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Other than protecting actual patients and making healthcare affordable, itís doing a bang-up job.

Take the Seattle Childrenís Hospital, for instance. Its administrators tell KING-TV that thanks to Obamacare, many of the sick kids in its facilities can not get the care that they need. The hospital sought approval to care for more than 100 kids under Obamacare, and got silence and a handful of denials in return.